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Lesson 7
Antidotes for Error
Colossians 2:8-15
A
concern for right thinking has existed in
Christianity from the very beginning. From the
earliest records which we possess, that is to say,
the New Testament, we can see at once that
Christians always were alert to the dangers of
what we would now call heresy.
—John M. Krumm
As
John M. Krumm has indicated, “A concern for right
thinking has existed in Christianity from the very
beginning.” In every age from apostolic times
until ours, teachings have arisen, both in the
church and in wider circles, that require careful
assessment on the part of earnest Christians. The
earliest Christian creeds arose, at least in part,
as responses to teachings that appeared to
threaten purity of doctrine.
Sorting It All Out
From
some of the darker pages of church history we
learn that overly zealous attention to doctrine
can lead to actions that in themselves are
basically unchristian. So-called heretics have
been boiled in oil, burned at the stake, drowned
with their hands tied behind their backs, and on
and on.
In
Colossians 2:8–15, Paul expresses a major concern
that the preeminence of Christ not be compromised.
In refuting error he relies primarily on
affirmation of positive correctives rather than
direct denunciation of the person or persons
evidently holding to views that Paul considered in
error.
Nevertheless, Paul’s warning
is urgent: “See to it, then, that no one enslaves
you by means of the worthless deceit of human
wisdom, which comes from the teachings handed down
by men and from the ruling spirits of the
universe, and not from Christ” (v. 8).
The
basic analogy here is of a slave dealer who
captures people with the intention of enslaving
them. It is graphic. If you note a variety of
translations at this point you will see how
translators have struggled to convey this imagery
vividly: “captured” (NEB), “carry you off”
(Barclay), “don’t let anyone make a sucker of you”
(Clarence Jordan in The Cotton Patch Version of
Paul’s Epistles, attempting to find a modern idiom
to convey the meaning).
We
have here a warning that there are forms of
religion that are based more on human and
sometimes cultural ideas than upon the gospel of
Christ, that promise more than they deliver, that
seem attractive but are really deceptive, that
tend to lead their followers into foolish forms of
asceticism and legalism that end in bondage rather
than joyous liberty in Christ.
One of
the words in this verse has a wide variety of
possible meanings and this explains some of the
widely differing and even unclear translations of
the phrase that refers either to “the elemental
spirits of the universe” (RSV) or “material ways
of looking at things” (Goodspeed.) In primary
meaning this word refers to a series of things or
persons, standing in a row, hence to letters of
the alphabet—A-B-C, thus the “rudiments” of
anything; eventually the word was applied to “the
series of stars and astral deities that were
supposed to be identified with the heavenly
bodies.” Exactly what did Paul mean here and in
what sense did he use this difficult word? We
really cannot know the answer. In this case it is
sufficient to note that he feared the possibility
of basic Christianity being subverted into some
form of human speculation that would obscure the
centrality of Christ as our only Mediator and
Redeemer. It is important to note the “antidotes”
that Paul proposed for this form of human
speculation (vv. 9–15), whatever it was.
Antidotes to Error
Verses
9–15, then, can be helpfully understood as
antidotes to viewpoints that tended to depreciate
the full significance of the person of Christ and
what he has done on behalf of the Christian
believer. They represent sharp contrasts with
points of view that Paul considered to be in
error.
For
example, in verse 9 Paul affirms again that “the
full content of divine nature lives in Christ.” He
is not just an angelic intermediary between God
and persons, and not a being superior to humans
but inferior to God. Every spiritual need can be
met in him (v. 10).
And
now Paul turns to a series of illustrations and
affirmations about the superiority of Christian
salvation over prior systems of salvation by law
or external rite. The false teachers in Colossae
evidently felt that literal circumcision brought a
higher sanctity to those submitting to it but Paul
points to inward circumcision of the heart as more
important. He is building on a prophetic
affirmation that has Old Testament roots. (See
Deuteronomy 10:16; 30:6; Jeremiah 9:25, for
example.)
The
reference to baptism (v. 12) brings in another
symbol. The old life is buried and the convert is
raised out of the water to live a new life in
Christ. The immersion effectively symbolizes death
to an old way and resurrection to a new way.
Verses
13–14 witness to Christ as Savior. The old account
of transgression and rebellion, totaled up like an
IOU, has been wiped away on the cross. This new
life is possible even for Gentiles! No one who
wished to be included is excluded! Christ was
victorious over all the spiritual forces in the
universe that oppose God (v. 15).
Notes
on the Biblical Text
2:8.
See to it … that no one enslaves you. Here again,
Paul may have a specific person in mind who is
troubling the Colossian church. Worthless deceit
of human wisdom. Bishop Moule points out the human
tendency to want “a Christ according to the system
of thought, not a system of thought according to
the blessed Christ.”
2:9.
The full content of divine nature lives in Christ.
“First and foremost Paul believed and insisted
that Jesus stood in a unique relationship with
God” (Barclay).
2:10.
He is supreme. The all-sufficiency of Christ
affirmed. He is head of all, both the universe and
the church.
2:11.
You were circumcised. Christians have experienced
inwardly what circumcision symbolized—“separation
from evil and dedication to God.” Being freed. The
literal image here is that of putting off old
clothes and being reclothed, symbolizing a
complete break with the past life
2:12.
Buried with Christ. Note the immersion symbol
here. See Romans 6:4.
2:13
At one time spiritually dead. Morally they were
cut off from the life of God as alienated sinners;
and religiously they stood afar off from God’s
presence as an outcast and disadvantaged people”
(Martin). God forgave. Note the primary initiative
here—God is acting on our behalf.
2:14.
He canceled the unfavorable record. Literally,
“blotted out.” Nailing it to the cross. Possibly
an allusion to an ancient custom of putting above
the head of an executed person a copy of the
charges against him.
2:15.
Leading them as captives. Picture a victorious
general parading the captives of a successful
conquest.
Some
Study Approaches
A
possible topic of discussion might be how
Christians should defend what they consider to be
the truth when they believe it is under attack.
Keep in mind that Paul chose to affirm his views
rather than attack those he considered to be in
error. His attack was positive but indirect.
Still
another possibility would be to take the verses of
the Bible passage and have several small groups
explore them and restate their basic affirmations
in brief paragraphs. Assignments might be: verse
8; verses 9–10; 11–12; 13–14; 15.
In
using the Antidotes to Error section, interrelate
the exposition with the Notes on the Biblical
Text. Both of the sections could be used by small
groups exploring the verse assignments. Try to put
together a concise summary of what Paul is saying
as the groups report.
Lesson 8
Liberty
in Christ
Colossians
2:16-23
The seriousness of the
Colossian heresy lay in its compromising the
absolute preeminence of Christ as the only
Mediator and Redeemer.
—Bruce M. Metzger
One
pastor I know of preaches a series of sermons
about angels from time to time because he finds
such a tremendous response from many people on
this topic. Actually, to do this requires
considerable speculation and conjecture because we
really do not have much specific information about
angels in the Bible. True, they are mentioned
frequently, but the references are sometimes
obscure, often quite limited, and the questions
that seem to cause the most specific curiosity are
not answered. Perhaps if we were supposed to know
so much about angels, we would have been given
more explicit information. What do you think? Is
this topic too often neglected? better left alone?
important? easy to overdo?
Curiosity about Angels
In the
community of Colossae someone was advocating the
worship of angels. More than that, this person, or
persons, was going so far as to intimate that
unless a Christian followed this route he or she
might miss out on salvation. Paul’s caution about
this was firm: “Don’t let anyone declare you lost
when you refuse to worship angels” (2:18, Living
Bible). Have you ever in your Christian experience
heard someone say (maybe a preacher; maybe a
layperson): Unless you do this … [you fill in the
blank from your experience] … you cannot be saved?
Paul
evidently believed that any practice that robbed
Christ of his position as our Redeemer should be
resisted vigorously.
Private Words from God
Every
now and then we read in the newspaper that someone
is predicting a dire catastrophe based on a
“vision” from God. A little group of people then
hides away to await the great earthquake or
tornado or the end of the world. Visions are
indeed one of God’s ways of speaking to humans,
according to the Bible, but we must be careful not
to be carried away by fantasy. A message from God
today will not violate the biblical witness. The
“visions” experienced by these false teachers Paul
mentions contradicted the message of Christ.
Moreover, those who had supposedly been so visited
were not exhibiting a Christ-like spirit—two
indications that the visions were not from God.
Religious Rituals and
Regulations
Making
a “religion” out of self-denial is desperately
easy. For some persons, self-denial becomes the
way to salvation—punish yourself by self-imposed
rules. Surely this will get some special attention
and reward from God! So it has been in human
history, again and again. So it was in Paul’s day.
So it is again in our own.
Much
of what Paul is saying in this section of
Colossians has to do with religious rituals and
regulations. In both the religion of the Jews and
much of that of the Greeks, rituals and
regulations abounded, so much so that for many
persons religion became a bondage rather than a
joy, a complex set of prohibitions rather than a
liberated life.
The
intent of rituals, originally at least, is often
good. The problem comes with getting misfocused on
the observance itself rather than what it is
intended to portray or accomplish. People very
easily get the notion that proper observance of
ritual and meticulous observance of regulations
are in themselves meritorious—this is the way to
earn salvation, this is the way to be in good
grace with the Deity. The next step is imposition
of these rituals and regulations on others,
insisting that no one can be saved apart from
them. Unless a particular set of observances and
prohibitions are followed, you are lost.
Paul
opposed this whole ritualistic and legalistic
approach to religion, vigorously and in whatever
form he found it, whether among his own people or
among Gentile converts to Christianity. Why do you
think he felt so deeply about this? Does this mean
that Paul had no sense of right or wrong, that a
Christian could be utterly careless about his
example and disdainful of all ritual?
The
Gist of What Is Said (2:16-23)
In the
previous section of Colossians Paul has affirmed
that the Law is not the way to salvation. What
Mosaic rules and regulations could not accomplish
God has made possible in Christ: the forgiveness
of sin and new life. Obedience to Mosaic
regulations and the rituals that had grown up
around them were no longer to be thought of as a
way of obtaining favor with God.
Now
Paul warns against allowing those who still have
not understood this basic teaching of the
all-sufficiency of Christ as Savior to “make
rules” (v. 16) and again substitute legalisms for
trust in Christ. He names specific areas in which
Christians are to maintain their freedom (vv.
16–17). Dietary regulations (specifically the
prohibition of certain meats) and the observance
of the special Jewish calendar of holy days,
festivals, and sabbaths (usually rooted in
ritualistic forms) are not the heart of Christian
faith and life. They are but “shadows,” and the
“reality” is Christ (v. 17).
Note
how some of these super-religionists are
described. They claim special superiority (v. 18)
because they think that their rigid self-denial
has put them in a special class, nearer to God
than anyone else. “Such a person,” insists Paul,
“is all puffed up,” an example of “false
humility.” In reality, this person no longer is
holding on to Christ (v. 19), who is the real head
of the Christian body and who controls and
nourishes it through vital contact with himself.
Verses
20–23 set two different kinds of religion in sharp
contrast: liberty in Christ and bondage to human
rules and teachings. Paul will later urge control
of “physical passions,” but he says clearly now
the rigid ascetic practices being advocated do not
in fact result in such control. They have no
effect.
Notes
on the Biblical Text
2:16.
Let no one make rules. Paul warns here against
substituting legalisms for trust in Christ, making
the Christian way a bondage instead of a joyous
release from a religion made chiefly of
prohibitions. “The Colossians were to let no one
‘judge’ them in reference to their observance or
nonobservance of the regulations of the Mosaic
law” (Vaughn).
2:17.
The reality is Christ. “Not by outward ordinances
but by living fellowship with Christ do we lay
hold of the glorious hope” (Scott).
2:18.
Do not allow yourself to be condemned. We are
answerable to God and not to someone who, in fact,
may be a false teacher. Note the Living Bible:
“Don’t let anyone declare you lost when you refuse
to worship angels, as they say you must … . These
proud men (though they claim to be so humble) have
a very clever imagination.”
2:19.
Stopped holding on to Christ. The false teacher
actually does not have vital contact with Christ,
regardless of his pretensions. The whole body is
nourished. A positive statement regarding the
growth that takes place when vital contact with
Christ as head of the Church is maintained.
2:20.
You have died with Christ. The Christian has died
to sin (Romans 6:2), to self (2 Corinthians 5:15),
and to the Law as a means of being saved
(Galatians 2:21). “Why do the Colossians wish to
reimpose a legalistic religion on themselves when
Christ’s cross has forever set men free from this
type of legality?” (Martin).
2:21.
Don’t … don’t … don’t. This verse is often
misused. Note that the prohibitions are not Paul’s
but rather he protests against persons who set up
dietary restrictions as a means of obtaining
salvation.
2:23.
No real value. False forms of asceticism cannot
really control the inward life and desires of any
person. They stem from the notion that the body
has to be punished to nourish the spirit.
Some
Study Approaches
Note
the section titled Curiosity About Angels. The
opening paragraph provides a way for relating this
section of Colossians to current times. Groups of
Christians have occasionally gone off on a
tangent, elevating a minor biblical point to major
importance and making it a test of faith. A
fascination with angels might be one example, or a
preoccupation with end-times. Can class members
name other examples? In what does the fascination
for these lie? Are these approaches to
Christianity consistent with what Paul taught? At
what point would Paul criticize these trends in
our day?
Another area that comes into
focus in this part of Colossians is the matter of
rituals and regulations in connection with
religion. Paul evidently believed these rituals
had been overdone in both Jewish and Greek
religions. Do you agree with him, or do you
believe that he has opened the door to too much
laxity in observance and behavior? (Keep in mind
that Paul does not say that thoughtfulness
regarding conduct is of no value. His point is
that we are not to trust in rule—observance and
ritual—performance as the road to salvation.)
What
shall we say, then, about Christians who make the
manner of dress or dietary customs a test of
spirituality?
Some
have taken Paul’s testimony that he “pummeled his
body” to keep it “under subjection” as an
indication that spiritual strength is to be gained
by physically punishing the body. In past
centuries, people beat themselves with whips and
“scourges” in order to become more spiritual. What
does verse 23 have to say concerning such
practices?
Note
that this whole section warns against imposing our
rules and our customs on others as the price of
their acceptance with God! Might it be one thing
to practice such customs ourselves, and another to
impose them on others?
Lesson 9
“Get Rid
of All These”
Colossians
3:1-11
A
new American conscience is evolving in a most
painful way.
—William A. Emerson, Jr.
William A. Emerson, Jr.,
former editor of the Saturday Evening Post,
suggested a few years ago that a time of rebirth
of conscience was coming in America. He believed a
revolt was brewing against the “no standard” and
“anything goes” trends of previous decades. Do you
agree with him? Do you think this has happened?
Discipline and Spirituality
Discipline has not been
overly popular in our day; rather, permissiveness
has been the trend. Some social critics have
called the eighties the “me” decade.
We
might speculate that certain aspects of Western
culture contribute to such thinking. For one
thing, our wealth and our emphasis on materialism
lead to a softness that may make discipline more
difficult. Why deny oneself when denial isn’t
necessary? Advertising urges us to be “kind” to
ourselves, even self-indulgent. Second, our
emphasis on individual freedom can lead us to
demand the right to live as we please. Do your own
thing, we’re told. If it feels right to you, it’s
okay. What may be wrong for someone else may be
right for you; every person’s opinion is equal in
value.
What
happens to such disciplines as prayer, Bible
reading, and questing for deeper spiritual life in
such a climate of freedom and self-indulgence?
From
Doctrine to Life
For
Paul, doctrine does not exist in a vacuum. Rather,
it has strong bearing on the way Christians live
their lives. Typically, the apostle follows any
doctrinal statements he makes with suggestions as
to how what he has taught can be applied to the
life of the Christian.
The
end of chapter 2 and the beginning of chapter 3
marks the transition point in Colossians from
affirmations of Christian truth to exhortations
based on that truth, from statements of conviction
to life applications, from emphases on what is to
be believed to how those beliefs are to be lived
out. Paul seemed to believe that conduct emerges
out of what is most deeply believed. How does this
square with your observations and experience?
Note
the first four verses of this chapter. Paul
evidently was convinced that Christian behavior
was the natural outgrowth of a transformation
experience in which we die to sin and are raised
to newness of life. And yet he did not indicate
that right living followed automatically. The
major change of direction in the life needed to be
followed by new habits that would guarantee its
persistence, growth, and stability.
At
this point there would be value in taking note of
the brief comments under Notes on the Biblical
Text for these first four verses. Paul’s concern
is for the main bent of the Christian’s life, the
stars by which life is to be steered. It would be
a mistake to think that he urges withdrawal from
life or a passive waiting for heaven with as
little contact as possible with this life. The
life “hid in Christ” is a different quality of
life, though lived in the same world as any other.
Now he
calls for the Christian to lead a disciplined life
(v. 5) in which both desires and actions are in
control (note the items listed). To ignore this
call mars our relationship with God (v. 6). That
is the way life was commonly lived by pagans, but
surely not as a Christian (v. 7).
So
again, he calls believers to “get rid” of all that
is inconsistent with the new self in Christ (vv.
8–9). The spiritually healthy Christian is being
constantly renewed and growth is to be expected
(v. 10). The Christian is to live out the reality
and implications of this new status with God.
Old
Distinctions No Longer Apply
Verse
11 makes a sweeping assertion that in Christ old
distinctions commonly made in human relationships
no longer apply because “Christ is all, Christ is
in all!” National, religious, racial, and social
distinctions no longer are to govern the attitudes
and actions of Christians. Rather, we are to think
of each person in relationship to Christ.
Notes
on the Biblical Text
3:1.
Set your hearts. The inward bent of the Christian
is toward Christ and his will. This focus governs
the Christian’s outward actions.
3:2.
Keep your minds fixed. Paul was not expecting
Christians to sever all normal contact with the
realities of living in this world. “But there will
be this difference—from now on the Christian will
see everything in the light and against the
background of eternity. He will no longer live as
if this world was all that mattered” (Barclay).
3:3.
Hidden with Christ in God. In this connection,
note Isaiah 32:2. Part of the meaning here is that
Christians are sheltered from evil powers that
would harm them.
3:4.
Your real life is Christ. Note 1 John 5:11; Acts
17:28; Romans 5:10.
3:5.
Put to death. “The Colossians had only recently
come out of a paganism which condoned the grossest
of sins” (Vaughn). Note that both actions and
desires are included in the catalog of sins to be
put to death.
3:6.
God’s anger. See Romans 1:18ff in connection with
this verse.
3:7.
Used to live. Note the sharp contrast. See 1
Corinthians 2:9–11.
3:8.
Get rid of all these things. “Put off.” The
imagery here is of taking off old and filthy
clothes and discarding them. In that time it was
customary for persons to leave their old clothes
behind when they were baptized and they were then
clothed in new white robes as they emerged from
the baptismal waters.
3:9.
Do not lie. Mutual trust is destroyed when we lie
to each other. Relationships cannot survive
without trust.
3:10.
Put on the new self. This is described as already
having happened. Constantly renewing. “The new
self (nature) does not decay or grow old but by
constant renewal takes on more and more of the
image of its Creator” (Vaughn).
3:11
No longer any distinction. Compare this verse to
Galatians 3:28. Social, racial, economic and
cultural differences are wiped out in the new
kingdom.
Some
Study Approaches
The
section titled Discipline and Spirituality
provides an opportunity to consider the
relationship between what we are as Christians and
what we do as Christians. Find out how the group
feels about the present state of nurture among
Christian believers. Are we strong in the practice
of disciplines that undergird our activities? Some
have charged that disciplines such as Bible
reading, prayer, and participation in “quest”
groups tend to become substitutes for direct
efforts to improve our communities and life beyond
the walls of our churches. (A better view might be
that these should go hand in hand; to neglect
either is to come short of the full gospel.)
Psychologists often point
out our human tendency to act and then to seek for
defensive reasons for having done what we did.
Paul tends to stress that what we do grows out of
what in our heart of hearts we believe.
Spend
some time reviewing the specific practices that
Paul urges the Christian to put away: sexual
immorality, indecency, lust, evil passions and
greed (verse 5); and anger, passion, hateful
feelings, insults, obscene talk, and lying (verses
8–9). Note that both thoughts and actions are
represented in the list. Have we in the Christian
community sometimes been guilty of thinking of
certain of these sins as more serious than others?
Does Paul seem to indicate that this is true?
How
might we rewrite Colossians 3:11 for us today?
Might we say there is no distinction between black
and white, Mexican, American, and Russian? Suggest
that the class supply their own paraphrase, and
talk about the implications of such a belief. Was
Paul talking about a reality or only about an
ideal that would be nice if we could achieve it?
Does the Christian community practice this
teaching well, or do we need to improve?
Lesson 10
Put On
These
Colossians
3:12-17
“Yes” is the finest word in
our language, and we must learn to pronounce it.
—James W. Angell
A
well-known evangelist, speaking at a youth
convention, pointed out the fallacy of two
different ways of saying no to life. One was a no
based on inadequate religion, and his
illustrations were drawn from the Oriental
mysticisms that have gained much popularity. They
are primarily negations, forms of escapism, he
insisted, in contrast with the Christian way which
calls us to say yes to God, to positive faith, to
fruitful ways of living. In these mystical
beliefs, one reaches perfection by negating or
relinquishing all desires and all feelings until
one reaches nothingness.
Not
“No” but “Yes”
The
second illustration was the no based in cynicism:
“I cannot believe this, therefore …” “I cannot
believe that, therefore …” But it is another kind
of negation, a way of saying no to life’s finest
possibilities.
And
then came his punch line, the insistence that we
are not made to live by a no. Life simply does not
work out well when we attempt to base it on a no;
it only comes out right when we live by a yes. And
as James W. Angell has said, “‘Yes’ is the finest
word in our language, and we must learn to
pronounce it.”
Putting Stress on the Yes
The section of Colossians just previously examined
(3:1–11), might be considered negative. As we
noticed, Paul is saying, “Get rid of all
these”—and he named specifically immorality,
indecency, lust, evil passions, greed, anger,
hateful feelings, and more.
Even
here, however, the emphasis was not totally
negative. His appeal was not to the idea that we
become Christians by rooting these things out of
our lives. Rather, the stress was on being raised
to new life in Christ. Some ways of living,
typical of pagan society, simply are not
compatible with life in Christ. The appeal was to
say no to such ways of living because they belong
to the old way of life rather than the new. In a
sense, this is to prepare the ground for the yes
that makes Christian living so joyous, so
contagious, so Christ-like, so liberating.
Can
you think of some situations in which in order to
say yes we must first or at the same time say no
to something else? Why is it that sometimes we say
the no but fail to go on to the yes? Examine your
own life in terms of what you have “put off” and
“put on.” How does it measure with the strong
contrasts Paul draws between the old life and the
new? Is this something we can do once for all or
do we need to keep at it? Is our stress on the
yes?
A
Symbol---Putting Off and Putting On
The
basic image of this whole passage (3:1–17) appears
to be rooted in the symbolism of the meaning of
salvation as portrayed by baptismal customs in the
early church. The symbolism itself was rooted in
what was believed about becoming a Christian. It
involved a deliberate turning away from a prior
style of life to begin a new one, a renouncing of
a past allegiance to testify to a new one, a
repentance for sin and a declaration of intention
to walk with Christ, all publicly testified to by
baptism.
We are
told that typically a baptismal candidate went
down into the baptismal waters wearing an older
outer garment that spoke of the old life, the
sinful past. That garment was left behind as the
candidate emerged and was wrapped in a new
garment, symbolic of the new life, a putting off
and a putting on.
How
can we make baptismal occasions more memorable and
significant for both candidates and the church? Do
we tend not make the event as meaningful as it
could be? Was your own baptism a time of special
significance and memory? Why or why not?
Special Christian Graces
Paul
gets specific about graces that should
characterize the Christian life-style. In a sense,
they are all aspects of Christian love, which Paul
affirms, “binds all things together in perfect
unity” (v. 14). (Quite likely he had in mind the
outer girdle worn to bind together the
loose-fitting garments of that day.)
Note
his list (v. I2):
1.
Compassion. A tender and concerned attitude toward
the sufferings and needs of others—a grace often
ascribed to Jesus. (See Luke 7:13–14.)
2.
Kindness. In Galatians 5:22, a fruit of the
Spirit. A “goodness that is a kindly thing,”
rather than stern or harsh.
3.
Humility. Not groveling servility but absence of
arrogance, meekness but not weakness. Again, a
characteristic of Jesus (Matthew 11:29) and
expected in Christians (Matthew 5:5).
4.
Gentleness. A personality well self-controlled and
therefore not brutal toward others.
5.
Patience. “Long-suffering.” Note how these graces
are interrelated; in a sense, an extension of the
Golden Rule.
The
remaining verses in this section are a kind of
drawing together and summation, together with
exhortation to a spirit of thankfulness expressed
in joyful singing and prayers.
Notes
on the Biblical Text
3:12.
You are the people of God. On this basis they are
called to live up to their new condition and
status. Clothe yourselves. Note the shift from the
previous emphasis of “putting off” to positive
aspects of the new life that are to be “put on.” A
list of Christian graces, all the fruit of love,
follows.
3:13.
Forgive. Christians are called upon to forbear and
forgive in their relations with others,
particularly those of the household of faith. A
forgiven person is called to forgive. Note Matthew
18:21–35.
3:14.
Add love, which binds all. “The tendency of any
body of people is sooner or later to fly apart;
and love is the one bond which will hold them
together in unbreakable fellowship” (Barclay).
3:15.
The peace that Christ gives. An assurance of
acceptance by God; reconciliation with both God
and persons. Guide you in the decisions.
Chrysostom wrote: “Suppose a man to have been
unjustly insulted, two thoughts are born of the
insult, the one urging him to vengeance, and the
other to patience, and these wrestle with each
other. If the peace of God stand as umpire, it
bestows the prize on that which calls for
endurance, and puts the other to shame.”
3:16.
Christ’s message. “The general sense is that we
are to submit to the demands of the
Christian message and to let
it be so deeply implanted within us that it
controls all our thinking” (Vaughn).
3:17.
In the name of the Lord Jesus. This phrase draws
together in summary this whole exhortation
concerning Christian behavior.
Some
Study Approaches
A “Put
Off—Put On” poster, or two posters, one listing
Paul’s suggestions of what to get rid of (3:8) and
what to put on (3:12) would be helpful in focusing
this session. (Or the two lists could be placed
over against each other on a chalkboard.)
Use
the Not “No” but “Yes” section as a transition
from the previous session in which the emphasis
necessarily was somewhat negative. Paul did not
stop with prohibitions; he moved on to stress
positive graces of the Christian life. Numerous
questions in the text will provide opportunity for
participation.
The
section titled A Symbol—Putting Off and Putting On
provides an opportunity for discussion of the
symbolism and significance of Christian baptism
and for giving suitable stress as to why many
Christians feel that only “believer” baptism and
baptism by immersion properly reflect the stresses
of the New Testament on this topic.
The
Special Christian Graces list deserves special
attention. Note variations in translation on these
five items (efforts to bring out the richness of
the meanings of the original terms). A concordance
will be helpful in relating these concepts to the
Gospels and to other Pauline writings.
Because of the stress of
verses 16–17, closing the session with a joyful
hymn would be especially appropriate, or at least
have a time of meditative prayer and commitment to
let such graces reign in our
lives.
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